This article is about the TV series. For the accompanying EP by Britney Spears, see Britney & Kevin: Chaotic (EP), and for the DVD see Britney & Kevin: Chaotic (DVD)
Britney and Kevin: Chaotic is an American reality television series created and directed by American television writer Anthony E. Zuiker. Starring American recording artist Britney Spears and her then-husband Kevin Federline, the five-episode series aired on UPN from May 17 to June 14, 2005. The series chronicles the couple's relationship from their courtship, engagement and wedding.
A majority of the footage was originally shot for Spears' own reality series to document the European leg of the Onyx Hotel Tour in the spring of 2004. Spears fell and injured her left knee during the shooting of the music video for "Outrageous", causing the remainder of the tour to be cancelled.
Britney and Kevin: Chaotic was heavily criticized by critics, who considered the series to be career suicide for Spears. Critics noted Spears' excessive narcissism and criticized the themes of the series as being too explicit. The DVD release of Britney and Kevin: Chaotic included Spears' first extended play of the same name.
Background[]
MTV News announced in April 2004 that Spears was planning a reality television series to document her backstage life during the European leg of The Onyx Hotel Tour. Pitched as OnTourage, footage from the six-week leg was to be compiled into a six-episode series, with each episode selling for about $1 million, "much more than most reality programs". Spears was to narrate and shoot footage of her with her dancers and handlers. The show was planned to be completed "as early as summer".
On June 8, Spears was shooting the music video for "Outrageous" in Queens, when she fell and injured her left knee. She was taken immediately to a local hospital and underwent arthroscopic surgery the next day. She was forced to remain six weeks with a knee brace, followed by eight to twelve weeks of rehabilitation, which caused any future concerts to be canceled.
In July, Spears announced her engagement to American dancer Kevin Federline, whom she had met three months before. As Federline had only recently ended his relationship with actress Shar Jackson, who was pregnant with their second child, this engagement was the subject of extensive media coverage. They held a wedding ceremony on September 18, 2004, but were not legally married until three weeks later on October 6 due to a delay finalizing the couple's prenuptial agreement. In October 2004, the singer announced she would be taking another career break to start a family.
Development[]
After a "fierce bidding war", on April 5, 2005, it was announced that Spears had signed a deal with UPN to air a reality television series documenting her relationship with Federline. The series, which would air in five episodes, was revealed to chronicle the relationship "from the earliest stages of their courtship to their engagement and ultimately, their stroll down the aisle". In a statement about the series, Spears stated: "From the day that Kevin and I met, there have been constant rumors and inaccurate speculation about our lives together. I feel that last year, the tabloids ran my life, and I am really excited about showing my fans what really happened, rather than all the stories, which have been misconstrued by journalists in the past. As I mentioned before, I am now going to be expressing my personal life through art". The series was initially titled Britney and Kevin: Can You Handle Our Truth?, before its title was changed to Britney and Kevin: Chaotic, with "Can you handle our truth?" becoming its tagline. All of the footage shot for OnTourage was used for Britney and Kevin: Chaotic. According to Spears, the series helped the couple to know each other more, saying: "I didn't know [Kevin] that well, and when I got the camera out, it made me feel better. It's really weird because it was like all this tension at first. We were so nervous being together. I'm really shy, and when I had the camera in my hand, it made me feel more outspoken."